Monday, August 6, 2012

Interview with Harlequin Superromance Author Kathy Altman

Good morning, everyone! I'm really excited to have debut author Kathy Altman here today because, after getting to know each other online, we finally had the chance to meet face-to-face and hang out at the Nationals meeting in Anaheim last month. Kathy is not only a truly lovely person, she's also both talented and active in the romance community. As a book reviewer, Kathy is a regular contributor to USAToday's Happy Ever Afterblog...and her reviews are excellent! She has also won or placed in numerous awards including, but not limited to, The Marlene, The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence, and The Maggie Award of Excellence for unpublished writers. Her writing definitely sticks to the heart, as you'll find out when you read her debut Superromance The Other soldier. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in a chance to win a copy of Kathy's book!

1.
Kathy, I have to say you're one fearless romance writer! In The Other Soldier,
you took on impossible conflict...friendly fire tragedy vs happily
ever after...while keeping it all real. Not only did you write a beautiful
and believable story, you wrote one that is both heart twisting and
hilarious at the same time. We'll talk about that funny bone of yours in
a sec, but first I'd love to know what kind of research went in to understanding
the psychology behind what soldiers and their families go through.

Oh,
my gosh, Rula, thank you so much for your kind praise! No wonder I enjoy
hanging out here. :-) Truthfully I’ve never thought of myself or my
writing as fearless. As a matter of fact, once I discovered that the Superromance
editors wanted to see the rest of my story—you know, the one with the
impossible conflict?—pure panic set in. I honestly didn’t know how I’d coax my hero and heroine into
falling in love. I read a number of articles about military life and friendly
fire incidents, and about loss and forgiveness, and decided to simply trust
that, as I was writing, what I’d gleaned from all that reading would
automatically kick in and help me help my characters overcome the armored tank-sized
conflict between them. I have to say that many of the articles I read were as
inspiring as they were heartbreaking—our military and their families have my
utmost admiration and respect.

2. Absolutely...and speaking of heartbreak, it's a known fact that, by inducing changes in our body chemistry,laughter
helps us deal with stress. We should all laugh more! Right? There's
nothing funny about suffering and loss, but I think life has a way of
tossing down 'stepping stones' of humor to see us through. In The Other Soldier,
you use comic relief masterfully throughout. In fact, you bring it
in so naturally that it makes the story even more true to life. I won't give
anything away, but as an example, in the epilogue just four words took
me from heartfelt tears to bursting into laughter. I know you have a great
sense of humor :). Did the use of comic relief come naturally to you? Is
there a craft source you recommend on comic relief or the use of humor in
books?

You
are so right—we don’t laugh often enough! And I’m tickled that you found the
right bits of the book humorous. For me it’s quite a challenge to walk that
line between funny and obnoxious, and the very last thing I wanted to do with
this subject matter was come across as disrespectful. But with grief and regret
playing such a big part in the story, I knew I needed to sprinkle in some
“downtime” to give the reader a break from all the angst. To my surprise and
delight the humor came naturally. I believe it’s thanks to the secondary
characters, since a grumpy old man and an outspoken nine year-old provide
plenty of fodder for fun dialogue. Unfortunately, humor isn’t always
instinctive for me. In fact, I’d intended the book I’m currently writing (a
follow-on to The Other Soldier) to lean more to the comic side, but my critique
partner was less than impressed. Epic fail. So I’m sticking with the angst.
Angst I can write. Outright humor, not so much. That I’ll leave to experts like
Ellen Hartman and Holly Jacobs. :-)

3.
I'm a fellow lover of word games. We should start a group called Scrabble
Sisters or Bananagram Babes, LOL! However, you'd beat me hands down
at any challenge involving military speak. You had one hilarious scene in
the book that I personally refer to as the Navy vs Army lingo scene. It's
an excellent example of how word choice can really bring out a character.
I'd say my favorite expression used was 'Embrace the suck.' Writing
is tough and getting published is even tougher. What were some key moments
on your road to publication where you had to embrace the suck?

LOL,
I love that expression, too! And boy, did I learn a lot of Army/Navy speak that
I’d love to share, except it would bring my mother running with a six-pack of
soap. When I was just starting out submitting queries I felt brutalized by each
and every rejection. I think that was the biggest suck I had to embrace—getting
past the desperation to quit when I felt I had no business believing I could
write. Luckily the more I wrote the more I realized I had a lot to learn, and
of course the more I learned the better I wrote, so that kept me going.

But
my most notable “suck point” also turned out to be a pivotal point in the growth
of my writing. I had drafted a scene in which my heroine wanders into a garden
at night, sits on a bench and contemplates life, love and the pursuit of an
especially elusive hero. One of my critique partners gently but firmly pointed
out that having a character sitting and thinking did not make for an active or
even particularly interesting scene. But...but...I’d spent so much time on those pages! Of course it didn’t
take me long to realize she was right. But I didn’t like that she was right, because it meant scrapping words. And I am
not fond of scrapping words. Luckily I’ve
never made that mistake again. Instead I make awesome new ones.

4.
See, you made me smile! Well, we all know that perseverance pays off...and
deserves a treat! Tell us about your Halloween treat that topped even the best
chocolate. A call in the bag!

LOL,
Halloween is a great day to get great news, isn’t it?! This book came about as
a result of Harlequin’s online Memorial Day Challenge, in which entrants were
asked to submit the first 1000 words of a military-themed story. I almost
didn’t enter—not only was I already working on a submission for Superromance,
but I’d never even considered writing a military character and really didn’t
know where to start. But then I realized not entering would be a colossal
mistake—why wouldn’t I take advantage
of the chance to win a pair of critiques from the very editors I was
targeting?! Amazingly enough I did win those critiques, from editors Victoria
Curran and Megan Long. Talk about a Halloween treat! Of course, that meant I
actually had to write the story...enter the trick. But thanks to a steady diet of
chocolate-covered almonds and Army Wives, I did manage to finish the book. Two
months after I submitted it, on Halloween, I received a voicemail from Megan,
telling me they’d like to go to contract. I was ecstatic! I was also driving,
not to mention crying. I had to turn into the nearest parking lot and hang out
until I could see well enough to get back on the road. When I got home I
promptly celebrated by hitting the chocolate. :-) Good thing we only had three
trick-or-treaters that evening, because after I finished whooping it up there
wasn’t a heck of a lot of candy left.

5.
I'm so glad that The Other Soldier got published because it's a story that
gives hope to a lot of people suffering from tragedy. It also tackles the
subject of financial self-sufficiency from both a generational perspective
and that of the different sexes. I believe romance novels are empowering
to readers in so many ways. Given our financial times, what's the
one message from this secondary story line that you hope readers will take
home?

Rula,
you used two of my favorite words to describe what romance novels offer—hope
and empower[ment]! I doubt there are many people who haven’t recently been
touched by financial hardship in some way, so it seemed timely, as well as
appropriate to the story, to include money as a conflict. Pride, shame,
desperation—it all comes into play when someone is facing hard times. Throw in
a potential lover who needs impressing—one who has far more money than you’ll
ever dream of having—and watch the mix-ups mount! It’s one of my favorite
character realizations-that love trumps lucre(I guess because that’s not
always true in real life). What I hope the reader will take away from the
secondary storyline? Open communication is key. Establishing financial expectations
and boundaries up front can save a lot of heartache! Of course, it also makes
for a less angst-y read. ;-)

6.
I'm sure you'll never forget the thrill of getting your first book into stores,
but the details will never be as fresh as they are now. Thinking back
on everything that has happened since your Call, how would you complete
the following two phrases: I wish I'd known... and Next time I'll
definitely...

I
wish I’d known to lay in a bigger supply of celebratory chocolate! Seriously,
though, this is a great question, and I have a somewhat embarrassing answer. I
wish I’d remembered (because I know this full well) that it’s all about
the writing. You don’t write, you can’t sell. After I got the call I let myself
get caught up in all I needed to do to finalize The Other Soldier, and in
writing reviews for USA Today’s Happy Ever After blog. Revisions and a Dear
Reader letter needed to be done, of course, and the HEA blog is a fun form of
promotion, but I neglected the next book—which is why it isn’t coming out until
July of 2013. I promise I’m working on that time management issue. Plus, I’m
adding our bread machine and an empty box of All Bran to my list of places to
stash candy.

Next
time (which starts now!) I’ll definitely be more schedule savvy, and at the
same time try not to beat myself up over a lost writing session or two. If I
get to three? I’ll force myself to boycott Castle.
No Nathan Fillion guarantees I won’t remain off schedule for long!

7. Maybe you could name one of your future heroes Nathan ;) Your current hero, Corporal Reid Macfarland, is a lucky guy because your heroine,
Parker Dean, is quite the baker. In fact, readers can get her
recipes for Pumpkin Coconut Muffins and Castle Creek Carrot Cake on your
website. Yum! Which of her desserts is your top pick? Would you have it with
coffee or tea? Snuggled on a sofa with a remote, sitting on a beach chair
with your toes in the surf or by a campfire near a cabin in the woods?

I
found that recipe for pumpkin muffins years ago and instantly adored it. When I
added chocolate chips it tipped the scale from good to great. (It also tipped
the bathroom scale, but we won’t talk about that). As much as I enjoy carrot
cake—minus the raisins—I have to say the muffins will always be my first
choice. As far as what I’d drink with them, I’m one of those people who loves
the smell of coffee but can’t stand the taste. For me it’s tea all the
way—preferably Constant Comment. And whoa, you are such a tease! By a beach or
a campfire? I would love either of those choices! But most often you’ll find me
on the sofa, snuggled under an afghan crocheted for me by my sister. Every now
and then I switch it out with the one crocheted for me by my brother! Yeah, I
completely lost out on that creative-with-yarn gene.

8.
Do you have any quirky writing habits/rituals or snacks?

LOL,
I’m afraid my writing sessions are boringly normal. I’m just like everyone else
who pays tribute to the writing gods—at 10 minutes past the hour I stop
writing, stand up and circle my chair while tapping my fist to my forehead; I
always spit out the first mouthful of whatever drink I’ve poured (careful, of
course, to aim away from the
keyboard); and whenever I finish a chapter I light a mutton-scented candle and
recite a poem dedicated to Colin Firth.

::crickets::

Umm...everyone
else does do those things, right? No?
Oh. Well. You know I made it all up, right? Every last bit of it. Not true. Any
of it. Seriously.

I
think I need a peanut M&M.

9. LOL! And you say you're not funny? Oy! Okay, back on track here. In The Other Soldier, you brought your readers to Castle Creek, a memorable
town with rich characters. Will we be revisiting Castle Creek in the
future? Any hints at who we'll find?

I’m
so glad you enjoyed your visit to Castle Creek! :-) As a matter of fact, I will be coaxing you back in that
direction. My next book features the owner of Castle Creek’s lone motel. Joe Gallahan
is renovating the rundown building at the same time he’s trying to get rid of his
ex-girlfriend, Allison Kincaid. Allison’s a city girl through and through, but
she braves the small town to convince Joe that he needs to win her back the
promotion he cost her. (It’s that money thing again—poor Allison is in dire
straits.) Joe wants to correct the mistake he never knew he made, and the
sooner the better so Allison can get back to her life in the city. Yet seeing his
former lover tempts Joe to renew the offer he once made—though he doubts he can
survive another rejection.

Along
with Joe you’ll recognize a few other faces. And since it’ll be a year before
we get to see Joe’s story, I’m planning to write a novella for release in
December or January—just so readers don’t forget how to get back to Castle
Creek. ;-) The heroine of that story will be Ivy Millbrook, who owns a dairy
farm—the poor woman has already met her match but she doesn’t know it.

10.
I love reading (and posting) lists of famous writer quotes. It's tough to
narrow down a favorite, but if you had to pick one that really hit home for
you, which would it be?

My
absolute favorite, most beloved quote is this one by James Thurber: “Don’t get
it right, just get it written.” This hits home for me because I write with an
ever-present internal editor—which makes writing that first draft so very
painful. I am a slooooow writer because I have a hard time moving on from that
sentence or paragraph or page that doesn’t read quite right. And it’s a first
draft, of course it doesn’t read
quite right! :-/ Plus there’s that whole
I-live-in-fear-of-having-to-scrap-words thing I have going on. Currently I’m
struggling to improve my speed factor, and glancing at this quote every now and
then really helps!

Rula,
thank you so much for inviting me to guest blog on A Writer’s Rush! I’ve read
and admired so many of the clever and informative interviews you’ve posted over
the months...years, actually...and I’m honored beyond description to join the
authors you’ve featured. I appreciate you!

Many
thanks also to everyone who stopped in to say hello! I’m so grateful for your
support, and I’d love to share a copy of The Other Soldier. Please leave a
comment for the chance to win one!

Gosh, Kathy! Thank you so much for being here. It has been an honor.

GIVEAWAY:You heard Kathy, everyone! Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of The Other Soldier. The winner will be posted here this Thursday, August 9th.

BLURB:

Corporal
Reid Macfarland has one mission: to make amends for the mistake he lives with
every day. That friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan that killed a fellow
soldier haunts him. Maybe if he can help the widow, he'll find some peace.

But
amends are easier said than done. Just one meeting with the independent and
engaging Parker Dean makes it clear that forgiveness is a little more
complicated than offering money or an apology. If he really wants to help, Reid
has to stick around for a while. The more their daily lives intertwine, the
more he realizes her forgiveness isn't the only thing he needs—he needs her.

12 comments:

Hi there, Carol! Great to meet you, too! I'm sorry I'm late checking in with you guys--dang the pesky day job. Rula does make me and the book sound good, doesn't she?! :-) I should hire her as my press agent! Thanks for stopping in, Carol!

Julia! It's terrific to see you! While I was writing the book I, too, couldn't wait to see how I was going to handle that tricky problem. :-) I'm usually the OCD type who has to know every little thing that's going to happen in the story, but this time I had to trust that all would come together in the end. I really didn't want to be known for writing the first Harlequin that *didn't* have an HEA. :-) Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!

That sounds like it's exactly why you write YA, Stina! :-) It's hard to beat angst. And what a never-ending source of it, if you're writing about teens! Thank you for the visit, Stina! Have fun with your YA projects!

Linda! How lovely to see you here! Rula and I were rooting hard for you at the Rita ceremony! :-) Thank you so much for your congratulations--I really appreciate that! I am beyond honored to be part of the Super family.

Hey there, J.L.! You're so right, humor helps keep you interested, and it helps make the characters likeable, too. Plus it gives you a break from the drama. I love me some drama, but it can get a little much after a while. Besides, we have enough in our own lives, right?! :-) Thank you so much for taking the time to join in on the conversation!!

About Me

I'm a contemporary romance author and compulsive reader of both fiction and non-fiction. Romances of any genre top my list of favorite things, along with coffee, chocolate, organic gardening, wildlife (including bugs and reptiles), a quiet beach full of shells, and my family.